My favourite day!

Yes, it's my favourite day!

Biiiiirthday!

My talented friend Joan, of Greek cats and God's Little People cat rescue, painted this for me for my birthday today! She knows that our Greek kitty Honey is now at best a part-time barn cat!  Joan also knows that coloured pencils are my preferred media for my own artwork, hence the crown! :) (I illustrated a kids' book called Katie of the Sonoran Desert using coloured pencils.)

Honey wormed her way inside and now spends most of her days in here with me (usually on my lap, walking on my keyboard, or sprawled across my desk) then goes back to the barn in the evening, when she seems to get restless for her sisters. 

Oh yeah, that's a barn cat.

Not! 

She's incredibly cuddly and just goes limp in your arms. The other cats don't take much notice of her and Emerson is her buddy!

Speaking of cats...

Joan, who entrusted me with the Greek trio back in November, has many cats in her care, including a recently-dumped quartet of kittens, now around 7 months of age. Joan just had them vaccinated and neutered, but was faced with returning them to the "wild," as she really is at full capacity for cats at her little sanctuary. 

Well, we discussed things and I offered to foster the four cats here and find them homes.  So were are working on raising the funds to get them to Canada!

I think I've already found a home for Archie.

But Annuk needs a home.

So does Amber.

And Luna too!

Yes, we have plenty of needy cats here in Canada, and I'm still helping them! But I am so inspired by the work Joan does for Greek cats, that I want to help her however I can. The situation in Greece is quite dire for humans right now, never mind cats, which are often regarded as nothing more than vermin. We so love our own Greek trio, and we're happy to help Joan find homes for these four beautiful cats.

Joan is asking for donations to cover their transport costs, and Gordon and I are going to match all donation dollar for dollar.If you would like to help out, you can donate to Joan's sanctuary via Paypal using this address: saints@mail.dk

You can learn more about Joan's work with her cats on her Facebook page and blog. Every dollar counts! :) And if you'd like to adopt one of these kitties once they are here, I am approximately 4-1/2 hours from Toronto, an hour from either Ottawa or Montreal, and 30 minutes from the border crossing at Massena, NY/Cornwall, ON. 

Please consider helping these cats and helping Joan! I'll keep you posted on our progress but am hoping to have the kitties here by early spring.

As I type this, Honey the part-time barn cat is asleep on my lap. 

A few more pics from the barnyard!

Here are some more pics taken about a week ago in and around the barnyard.

I LOVE this one! And yes, the cats got up on the posts themselves!

Buttercup, Pip, Daisy, Gordon and Honey. :)

Gordon was a popular guy in the chicken run. That's our oldest chicken Charlotte at the front.

She turns six this summer and is looking amazing!

But she's not as old as...

...this guy! Lenny the 27-year-old rescue Mallard. 

Honey is the prettiest little cat!

Pip doesn't know what to think of Buttercup's acrobatics.

Pip is a gorgeous tabby girl. She has amazing bat ears!

Not just a real beauty, but an excellent mouser!

I'm no sure if that's Honey or Emerson behind her!

Meanwhile, there's a meeting of the Ornj Cat Society on the palette!

The meeting broke up early. I think someone heard a rodent!

That's Emerson, hunkered down in the snow.

Lovely Honey having a bath.

And the Cat Man of Apple Hill!

Buttercup.

Daisy (with Buttercup in the background)

Testosterone without a name. We have a few new roosters that hatched out this summer after Speedy hid a nest in the barn. Sigh. Actually, Testosterone sounds like a pretty good rooster name!

And one of our original three roosters, the magnificent Beaker. He turns five this year!

Honey wanted to give Gordon a hand (a paw?) with bucket scrubbing.

More of Speedy's offspring. Hen on the left, roo no the right. I'm pretty sure Errol Flynn the Barred rock is their daddy!!

And we're still getting quite a lot of eggs through the winter...

The quails are laying well too!

Oh yeah, remember the "barn cat", Honey?

Yeah, that's her. She wore me down and now is allowed in the house during the day. Eventually she seems to miss her sisters and I take her back to the barn! She gets along with everybody, but particularly with Emerson. They are often running around together outside.

My whole "I only have indoor cats" thing fell to pieces this past summer after the rat explosion in the barn. I have to say, the barn cats are doing an amazing job. In one week, they did in at least three rats, and I never see a rat running around anymore (I presume the cats are nailing them when they venture out at night!) The cats are doing a much better job than traps, and are far safer and environmentally than  rat poison. Julius, Alex, Naomi, Louise and Emily are still indoor cats. Emerson spends most of the day outside and comes in at suppertime. The barn cats are all locked in the barn at suppertime, in hopes of keeping them safe from predators. Fingers crossed things continue to work well, as they have been, and no one gets the urge to wander!

It has been awfully cold this January and as much as I love winter, I am getting a little tired of bitterly cold windchills. When we woke up the other day, the actual temperature was -32C. We always get some days like that in January, but it feels like it has been colder than usual than this year. I would just like it to warm up a little bit so that doing barn chores is a bit less painful! :) 

Many many cats and much much orange!

Brace yourself, I took a lot of cat photos this week and they aren't even all in this post. More to come!

I love this photo of my beautiful Honey (if I do say so myself!) She is the SWEETEST cat and loves to be picked up and cuddled. She has a tendency to follow me to the house, then run in after me. :) I think she is trying to tell me that this barn cat stuff is all nonsense. Tonight she had her supper in the kitchen with the other house cats, because I called Emerson and she came running in with him!

This is our beautiful Buttercup enjoying some warm winter sun at the back of the barn. She's one of our three Greek kitties adopted through my friend Joan's God's Little People cat rescue in Greece.

This is her sister Daisy, enjoying the sun while balanced precariously on an up-ended board.

And the third sister, Honey. The back of the barn faces south and it can get quite warm along that wall when the sun is out.

I think Buttercup was watching the ponies!

Buttercup and Honey shared this poopy chair. The chickens like it too!

And then...

...Finney ran up to check out Daisy, who was not impressed (note tail!)

She kept an eye on him!

Greek cats everywhere!

Honey got up on the board to look at Esme, who is much more cat-positive. Honey jumped down into Esme's box stall last night while Esme was having supper and sat in the hay. Esme just sniffed her a few times and kept eating. It was very sweet. Honey is the cat most obsessed by the ponies. She is always hanging around their stalls!

A little later, Daisy and Buttercup shared the poopy chair!

Sweet sisters!

And Buttercup is quite the acrobat!

Daisy...

...enjoys a patch of sun by the box stalls.

I think this is Buttercup. Unless it's not!

And Missy, our adorable calico! She's a true Canadian. Pip sometimes plays a little too rough with her. I think that's why she has some scratches on her nose.

She is an exquisite little cat!

She also loves the ponies. At her last home, she had two donkey friends she was very close to.

Buttercup

Emerson watching Honey and Daisy have a literal roll in the hay!

Emerson (top) gets a long really well with the three Greek girls, and especially Honey (front). I often find him running around with Honey.

Buttercup again.

Emerson and Daisy went outside for a walk around the snowy garden.

I wonder if Daisy (or is that Buttercup?!) is dreaming of the Greek island she left behind?

They do stand out on the snow! And I like the big shadow Daisy is casting.

Cats are fabulous. 

Hope you all have a lovely weekend, and thank you for all your kind and fun comments!